“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man’s proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it’s yours.” – JOHN GALT

PSY’s Gangnam “Sorry” for his Anti-American Past

Yes, the phenomenal, talented South Korean pop superstar has just apologized for his violent anti-American past, saying it was “a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two Korean schoolgirls that was part of the overall antiwar sentiment shared by others around the world at that time.”

We can’t blame him. He deserves forgiveness and understanding. Personally I was also one of those who criticized America and the Bush administration for invading Iraq because as a very young college student, I was exposed to neo-liberal, leftist indoctrination that preached anti-Americanism and socialist ideology. I still think Iraq was the wrong, mistaken target.

Hundreds of thousands of college students in the Philippines, particularly those enrolled in state-funded universities and colleges, today are vulnerable to anti-reason, statist ideologies and education being spread by ultra-leftist and statist professors.

Like the Philippines, South Korea, which has an ongoing war with the socialist North, was also greatly influenced by statist and radical leftist intellectuals, as the works of Karl Marx were first introduced to Korea during the colonial period.

Socialism or any form of statism mostly appeals to young people because of their immaturity, crude idealism and naivety. Adolescence is the time period wherein young people further develop their cognitive, critical thinking skills, and acquire new ideas, which usually appeal to emotion and are radical.

It is not really surprising that Karl Marx is very popular among idealistic young people.

So today, Psy said he will “forever be sorry for any pain I have caused” by what he sang at a Seoul concert that took place during the Iraq war:

Kill those f**king Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives Kill those f**king Yankees who ordered them to torture Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers Kill them all slowly and painfully

“As a proud South Korean who was educated in the United States and lived there for a very significant part of my life, I understand the sacrifices American servicemen and women have made to protect freedom and democracy in my country and around the world.”

“The song in question – from eight years ago – was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two Korean schoolgirls that was part of the overall antiwar sentiment shared by others around the world at that time. While I’m grateful for the freedom to express one’s self I’ve learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I’m deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted. I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused anyone by those words.”

“I have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months – including an appearance on the Jay Leno show specifically for them – and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology. While it’s important we express our opinions, I deeply regret the inflammatory and inappropriate language I used to do so. In my music I try to give people a release, a reason to smile. I have learned that though music, our universal language we can all come together as a culture of humanity and I hope that you will accept my apology.”